Five questions with an Arizona Cardinals expert

this is a discussion within the Saints Community Forum; The Arizona Cardinals are currently 2-2 and tied atop the NFC West with the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, but their record is rather misleading. Their two victories have been by a combined total of 4 points over ...

The Arizona Cardinals are currently 2-2 and tied atop the NFC West with the St. Louis Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, but their record is rather misleading. Their two victories have been by a combined total of 4 points over the Raiders and Rams. Their two losses on the other hand were by a total of 82-17 against the Falcons and Chargers. When they win, it's barely and when they lose, they lose.

Rookie Max Hall will be stepping in for Derek Anderson at quarterback and getting his first career start in the NFL. Some may think that is rather unfair of the Cardinals' coaching staff to give this undrafted rookie his first start against the defending Super Bowl champions, but maybe it's not. The Saints have a decimated defensive secondary right now due to injuries taking players down left and right. Chris Reis is gone. Tracy Porter is out 2-4 weeks. It's unknown just how much Pierson Prioleau and Roman Harper will play. Now will the Cardinals be able to take advantage of this defensive hole for the Saints?

That's why Arizona Cardinals Examiner Scott Jones and myself passed questions along to one another this week to see what our thoughts are on Sunday's game. Later on look for a link to his article with my answers to his questions. Below you'll find his answers to mine and see that he isn't too high on his Cardinals' chances.

Danny Cox: Max Hall took over for the extremely inconsistent Derek Anderson last week, are there now second thoughts swirling through Arizona as to the giving away of Matt Leinart?

Scott Jones: Wednesday, the Cardinals named Max Hall the starter for the game with the Saints. Many people have praised the former BYU quarterback who signed with the Cardinals as a free agent - this includes his Uncle, Danny White (yes, the former Cowboys quarterback). But is he the answer? Too soon to tell. Did the Cardinals need to waive Matt Leinart? Maybe in hindsight that was a bit rash, but if they saw Max Hall as a potential solution, things start to make sense.

The Cardinals problems go WAY beyond who starts at quarterback. I think that having Kurt Warner under center spoiled Arizona fans and gave a false impression of what this team has to offer. The Cardinals are currently 31st in the league in total offense. The team can't pass the ball and frankly, has not tried consistently to actually run the ball. Earlier this week, Beanie Wells spoke up about his not being used, and many Cardinal insiders agree with him. Watch for Arizona to make a solid attempt to run the ball against the Saints this week.

DC: Last week the Cardinals took a 41-10 beating at the hands of Philip Rivers and the Chargers. The Saints' offense hasn't been nearly as potent or explosive this season (so far at least); in what ways can Arizona's defense keep Drew Brees and the Saints from finding their rhythm?

SJ: Coach Ken Whisenhunt has often talked about wanting to control the game by effectively running the ball. This is the BEST way to control a high-performance offense like the Saints - keep them off the field. Of course, that's easier said than done. The Cardinals have two good (not All-Pro, but good) backs in Wells and Tim Hightower. Given the team's issues with a rookie quarterback, a simple alternative would be to pound the ball as often as possible and keep the passing to a minimum. Will they try to throw, yes! With Larry Fitzgerald out there, he's too good a talent to not incorporate into a game plan. But will young Max Hall drop back on every play, not likely (unless the team is down 28-7 in the first half like they were against the Chargers).

DC: Beanie Wells has openly announced his displeasure in just about everything going on with the team, could this possibly cause a rift that tears the Cardinals apart?